This Standard is secondary legislation made by the Physiotherapy Board under section 118(i) of the Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003.
Introduction
Physiotherapists may be contracted or employed by a third party to undertake assessments of kiritaki.
The physiotherapist’s role is to perform an assessment and provide an opinion to the third party. The role does not include providing any form of providing treatment to kiritaki. The relationship between kiritaki and a non‐treating physiotherapist differs from the relationship between kiritaki and a treating physiotherapist.
In some circumstances, the treating physiotherapist may be asked to perform an assessment that would otherwise be performed by a non‐treating physiotherapist. This is usually because kiritaki lives in an isolated area where a non‐treating physiotherapist is unavailable. In this situation, the physiotherapist should explain how their role as a third‐party assessor differs from their role as a treating physiotherapist.
The nature of the assessment varies depending on the role of the third party. It may include assessment of employment suitability; eligibility for health services or compensation; a second opinion; or expert advice used in legal proceedings.
The assessment may take several forms, including a physical examination, consultation with kiritaki, or a file review based solely on information in kiritaki health records.
Decisions made by a third party will be influenced by the physiotherapist’s assessment, and this may affect the outcome for kiritaki. Therefore, the physiotherapist has a responsibility to ensure that the professional opinion and recommendations are accurate, objective and based on all the available evidence.
Relationship with Physiotherapy Standards Framework
This standard should be read in conjunction with Informed consent standard and Aotearoa New Zealand Physiotherapy Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (2026), alongside the other components of the Physiotherapy Standards Framework.
Defined terms
Terms and wording used within this standard that are linked are defined in the defined terms.
Assessment for a third party
An assessment undertaken by a non‐treating physiotherapist in order to provide an opinion to a third party, which may include the supply of a written report to the third party setting out that opinion once the assessment has been completed.
Third party
A person or organisation other than kiritaki (the first party) or the physiotherapist (the second party), including organisations that fund, manage, or evaluate healthcare services, including physiotherapy services.
Cultural safety
In the context of physiotherapy in Aotearoa New Zealand, cultural safety requires health professionals to examine themselves and the potential impact of their own identities and culture on their practice. Culturally safe health professionals acknowledge and address their own power, privilege, biases, attitudes, assumptions, stereotypes, prejudices, and characteristics that may affect the quality of care provided. Cultural safety requires a critical consciousness where health professionals engage in ongoing self‐reflection and hold themselves accountable for culturally safe practice, as defined by patients and their communities, and as measured through progress towards achieving health equity. Culturally safe health professionals influence healthcare to reduce bias and achieve equity within the workforce and working environment. Cultural safety benefits all patients and communities.
(Curtis et al., 2025, p. 2).
Kiritaki
Patient, client, consumer.
Tangata whenua
Māori people of a particular locality, or as a whole the original inhabitants of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Tauiwi
Non‐Māori, European, Pākehā
Whānau
This is generally described as a collective of people connected through a common ancestor (whakapapa) or as the result of a common purpose (kaupapa).
Whakapapa and kaupapa are not mutually exclusive. Whakapapa whānau will regularly pursue kaupapa or goals. Whereas kaupapa whānau may or may not have whakapapa connections. Whakapapa whānau and kaupapa whānau are social constructs and as such can be located along a continuum depending on the function and intent.
Terminology
Must: is where the statement sets a minimum standard that all physiotherapists are obliged to achieve.
Should: is where a statement marked as ‘should’ recognises that in some contexts and situations the physiotherapist requires a degree of flexibility in their response. Guidance is offered by the ‘should’ statement, but it is up to the individual physiotherapist to decide, and be able to justify, by using their professional judgement and/or seeking advice from experienced colleagues.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
The Board te Poari acknowledges Te Tiriti o Waitangi as a founding document of Aotearoa New Zealand and respects Māori as tangata whenua. The standard integrates the articles and overarching principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi with the aim to improve health equity between Māori and Tauiwi.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi was signed in 1840 between the British Crown and many indigenous Māori leaders and is one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s founding documents. Te Tiriti o Waitangi is te reo Māori version of this agreement, and the Treaty of Waitangi is the English language version. There are notable differences observed between the English and te reo Māori texts.
To practise effectively in Aotearoa New Zealand, a physiotherapist needs to understand the relevance of and be able to apply the Tiriti o Waitangi principles, while promoting equitable opportunity for positive health outcomes within the context of Māori health models, including whānau (family health), tinana (physical health), hinengaro (mental) and wairua (spiritual health).
New Zealand Law
Physiotherapists must be familiar with the law governing this area of practice including, but not limited to, the:
Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights 1996
Health Practitioners Competence Assurance Act 2003
Undertaking physiotherapy assessments for third parties
A physiotherapist must:
- Ensure professional opinions and recommendations provided to third parties are accurate, objective, and based on all available evidence.
- State in the report when the physiotherapy assessment has been completed by file review of kiritaki health records, without a physical examination or consultation with kiritaki.
- State in the report if there is a concern the physiotherapist’s opinion cannot be accurate, based on all the information provided in the file.
A physiotherapist should:
- State in the report, any documentation or information provided by the third party, including where the physiotherapist has relied on information from other health practitioners.
Related resources
From Physiotherapy Standards Framework
Aotearoa New Zealand Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (2026)
From other sources
The Code of Health and Disability Services Consumers’ Rights
References
Curtis, E., Loring, B., Jones, R., Tipene‐Leach, D., Walker, C., Paine, S.-J., & Reid, P. (2025). Refining the definitions of cultural safety, cultural competency and Indigenous health: Lessons from Aotearoa New Zealand. International Journal For Equity in Health, 24 Article 130.